Never Give UP
by princessmelanie
Summary: This is a lot darker than
1. The American Princess

*~*Authors Note: This story is a lot darker than "Just Between Us," but I haven't read much fan fiction that deal with deep issues. So I thought I'd publish it. Let me know what you think. OH and by the way I wish that I had created Harry Potter, however, it all belongs to JKR.~*~*   
  
Hermione looked out the window of her Muggle Studies classroom. She had not been listening to the lecture for quite awhile and had no idea what the professor was saying. This was quite unusual for Hermione who rarely lost interest in her classes. However, lately she was loosing interest in her classes very easily. She was still doing well in all her classes, however, not as well as she had in her previous years. She had just lost a lot of the drive to succeed that she had before. She continued to stare out the window in a complete daze.  
"Hermione...Hermione....Hermione!" Her fellow Gryffindor Dean Thomas shouted at her. "Oh, sorry, I must have dazed out for second," she said startled. "I'll say, you alright?" he asked a bit confused. Hermione nodded silently.   
"Okay, well, why don't we head down to the hall for lunch. I don't know about you but I am starving," Dean said grabbing his books.   
Hermione followed him silently, listening to him discuss Muggle holiday celebrations. However, Hermione was only partially paying attention to what Dean was saying.   
Upon arriving in the great hall, Hermione was relieved to see her best friend Harry Potter sitting all alone at the table, unaccompanied by her other best friend, Ron Weasley. Hermione wasn't in the mood to deal with Ron, and quite frankly she hasn't been for quite some time. Ever since the beginning of the school year Ron had changed a lot. Instead of spending his extra time with her and Harry he had befriended a transfer to Hogwarts from America named Suzy. However, Suzy did not have many friends in 5th year, even though she was one herself. Most of her friends were 7th year Hogwarts students. Her usual gang included George and Fred Weasley; Ron's brothers, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Lee Jordan. All of whom Ron has suddenly decided to hang out with on a regular basis, and much to her surprise they don't seem to mind this sudden interest in them, and Suzy seems to have taken a liking to Ron.   
"Hey, Harry," Hermione said as she sat down next to him at the table.   
"Hey, you what's up? Ron'll be back in a minute, he's getting measured for his Quidditch robes. You know his first game as Keeper is this Saturday," Harry said.   
Hermione nodded politely. "The pretty American Princess isn't around today?" Hermione asked cheekily.   
Harry rolled his eyes, "It wouldn't kill you if you'd be nice to her once in awhile, ya know?" He was getting a bit fed up with Hermione's negative attitude lately.   
"I don't have to be nice to her!" Hermione replied shortly.  
Just then Ron came into the Hall alone and he debated between sitting with his usual crowd or with Harry and Hermione, today, he felt that he should sit with Harry and Hermione due to the fact that he really hadn't spent much time with them at all this year. He took a seat directly accross from Harry and Hermione. "Hey," he said smiling.   
Harry returned the greeting, while Hermione continued to nibble on a piece of toast. Ron stared at Hermione for a few moments waiting patiently for her to return his greeting, but this did not happen. A little dissappointed he started to eat.  
"So you decided to sit with us today. To what do we owe this distinguished honor?" Hermione snapped.   
"What the hell do you mean Hermione, I mean the last time I checked we were friends. I can sit in the Hall for lunch with my friends can't I?" Ron said angerly  
"Well, the last time I checked friends actually acknowledge eachothers presence from time to time. I swear this is the first diaglogue we have had in atleast 2 weeks. Oh wait, I'm sorry, we talked briefly in the library yesterday while I bassically did your Potions homework for you. If that is what you call a friendship. Then I guess were still friends," Hermione shouted. Although, he shouting did not seem to be stemmed out of anger and frustration but it was deeper. Harry got the sense that she wasn't really just mad at Ron that there was something deeper going on.   
"Aren't you gonna eat?" Ron said noticing that she had barely touched any of her food.   
"I've lost my appetite," she said softly. Ron eyed her suspiciously, Hermione was not acting like herself at all. He looked at Harry, and without saying a word he knew that Harry was thinking the same thing.   
"I gotta go," Hermione said softly as she grabbed her books and headed for the door. Hermione had a very sour, almost sickening expression on her face. Hermione got to the bottom of the steps where she sat down and started to cry. 'What is wrong with me?' she thought silently to herself.  
  
  
  
  



	2. Fight in the Great Hall

*~* Author notes: Hey guys here's chapter 2 of my latest story. I have decided to change my rating to PG-13 due to the dark nature of the story. I mean depression isn't something to be discussed in G fan fic, well atleast in my oppinion. Keep reading and reviewing! Thanks so much, it means a lot to me! Oh and thanks to my new beta-reader John (Haggridd) who really helped me place my thoughts and ideas into a more coherent, reader-friendly story. Oh, and I'm working on the formatting, I think this chapter will be much better as far as that goes, well I hope anyway. Oh and this chapter has a very bad title, "Fight in the Great Hall." Sadly, it's the best I could come up with.*~*~  
  
Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowlings and I didn't create any of these characters, she did. Well except Suzy, she is from my imagination.   
  
Harry watched as Hermione ran out the door of  
the Great Hall. "Should I go and talk with her?"   
Ron asked, sounding quite irritated. Harry couldn't  
decipher whether he was irritated by Ron's comments  
about Hermione, or whether he was just plain tired  
of the way Hermione was acting. Harry concluded  
that, most likely, it was a mixture of both.  
  
"No! I'll talk to her later-- alone." Harry  
firmly told his friend. He didn't want to be rude,  
but all the same, Harry knew that the last thing  
Hermione Granger needed just then was to talk to Ron  
Weasley. With their tempers, a discussion at this  
time could easily become a war. Hermione was near  
her breaking point, and he didn't want Ron--or anyone  
else, for that matter-- to push her past it. Harry  
wasn't even sure what he himself would say to her.   
He was hoping he wouldn't have to say much; rather,  
that she would be more than willing to vent to him.  
  
"Fine, then! Don't ask me to help with the  
conversation!" Ron bellowed, his face becoming an  
even deeper shade of red.  
  
"You know what, Ron? You excluded yourself  
from the conversation the minute you left Hermione  
crying on the Hogwarts Express. How could you do that?  
You knew her father had just died. She wasn't even  
sure she should be leaving her mother by herself.   
  
Ron, she was going to the Muggle school! She searches out  
her two closest friends in the entire world, hoping  
desperately that they would offer her a bit of  
support, and what does she find instead? One of her  
friends is too awestruck by Miss Teen Witch USA to  
notice that his dear friend is on the brink of an  
emotional breakdown." Harry had not noticed until  
after he had finished yelling at Ron that the entire  
hall full of students was now watching them.   
Ron said nothing, glaring back at Harry, his face  
now a deeper shade of red than Harry had ever seen.  
  
"Harry! Ron! Can we just get over to  
Transfigurations, already?" whispered Dean Thomas,  
as he got up from the table. Harry looked around and  
saw that the entire room was looking at him and at  
Ron. Silent, Ron just picked up his books and walked  
towards the entranceway to the Great Hall. Equally  
silent now, Harry and Dean slowly followed behind  
him.  
  
  
"Ron!" Suzy called, running up to him. "I'm  
sorry I spent the entire lunch period finishing owls  
to all my friends at home-- er, rather, back in the  
States." A sad look, almost a pout, appeared on her  
face. It was the first time Harry had seen Suzy  
look anything other than extremely perky ever since  
she arrived at Hogwarts. Ron, however, wasn't paying  
very much attention to her. He was more interested in  
looking over at Harry, who, along with Dean, had sat  
down next to Hermione, on a bench across from them.   
"Ron? Is something the matter? Did something happen  
during lunch?" Suzy sounded a bit worried.  
  
"It was nothing, Suzy. Nothing I'd like to get  
into right now." Ron said very quietly.  
  
*****************  
  
"Alright, class. Today we shall discuss famous  
transfigurers throughout history." Professor  
McGonagall had entered the classroom. This turned  
out to be one of her least interesting lectures. It  
wasn't quite a "discussion", as was stated earlier.   
It was merely Mcgonagall rambling on while the  
students took notes on what she said. Harry looked  
towards Hermione, who stared blankly at the wall.   
Harry looked down on her parchment and noticed that,  
while every other student had taken at least a roll's  
worth of notes, Hermione had written just three words.  
"That isn't like her at all. She usually has five  
rolls of parchment on McGonagall's lectures." Harry  
thought to himself. Hermione looked much paler than  
she did before, all the color washed out of her face.   
Also, her hair was unusually wild. While her curls  
had always been a bit on the untamed side, they were  
now by far the worst he had ever seen. Harry looked  
into her eyes, once a deep brown, now they too were  
washed of color. They did not hold the spark of life  
that Harry remembered being there. At that moment,  
Harry wanted nothing more than to hold his best  
friend, tell her he loved her, and that everything was  
going to be all right.  
  
"Well, class, that's all for now. I hope you  
all have a wonderful afternoon." Professor  
McGonagall told the rest of the class. She turned  
towards Hermione. "Miss Granger, may I see you for a  
moment?" Hermione nodded blankly at her.  
  
"I'll wait for you outside, 'kay?" Harry  
whispered in her ear. She smiled slightly in  
response, then gathered her books and went to  
McGonagall at the front of the classroom. Harry  
sighed, grabbed his books, and walked out the  
classroom door. He was pleased to have gotten  
Hermione to smile, if only for a moment. Waiting  
outside the classroom for Hermione to come out, Harry  
paced nervously for what seemed like an eternity.   
Finally, she appeared at the door, tears streaming  
down her face.  
  
"What's wrong, Hermione?" Harry moved towards  
her, his arms ready to embrace. He was actually  
somewhat relieved to see her show some emotion, even  
if it was tears. Hermione gave him a look that he  
could not decipher.  
  
"Leave me alone, Harry. Just go away and  
leave...me...alone!" Hermione ran away down the now  
darkened corridor. Harry stood there, silent, unable  
to move. He wanted so much to run after her, but he  
didn't-- he couldn't. He started to walk slowly down  
the corridor. He decided that he'd go to the trophy  
room. He always found it a great place to collect his  
thoughts. when he just wanted to be left alone.   
Hardly anybody ever went into the trophy room. As he  
walked through the door, however, Harry saw two  
persons sitting at a table, talking.  
  
***************  
  
  
  



End file.
